Lay’s, Do ME a Flavor

I’m sure everybody has heard of Lay’s Do Us a Flavor campaign. It started out on Facebook, asking folks across the country to submit original potato chip flavors to be considered for production. The potato chip maker picked the top three suggestions and made chips of each flavor. The top three finalists were chicken & waffles, cheesy garlic bread and Sriracha flavored chips.

The three chip flavors were then released into local grocery stores across America and consumers were encouraged to vote for their favorite. (I think it was a genius marketing plan on their part — it got shoppers to buy their chips, and not only one bag—but THREE! You sly dogs.)

These chips flew off the shelves. I mean, since February I have been checking the chip aisle every time I set foot in a grocery store, with no luck. Those damn Eva Longoria ads have been taunting me at nearly every commercial break for months.

It wasn’t until last Sunday that my roommate surprised me and brought home these elusive snacks. I was SO excited. Being a southerner and all, I couldn’t wait to tear into that bag of chicken & waffle chips. Much to my dismay, I was let down by each flavor. Maybe if they picked Honey Mustard, like I asked them too, they would have gotten better reviews. Just sayin’.

Here are my taste test results:

Chicken & Waffles: Tasted like syrup…cheap maple syrup, that is. Where is the chicken? Where is the waffle? Ever put syrup on a potato? Neither have I. Maybe Jeremy Grey has…but not the average human.

Cheesy Garlic Bread: In a blind taste test I would have never guessed the flavor. They didn’t taste cheesy. They didn’t taste like garlic. It was just an over-seasoned, salty chip that got your hands messy—you know how your fingers get covered in oil/salt after eating Flavor Blasted Goldfish? It was like that, but not as tasty. Pass.

Sriracha: When you think of Sriracha hot sauce, you think spicy right? Well, apparently Lay’s doesn’t. The chips basically just tasted like they were ketchup-flavored. Boring, but not terrible. Probably the best out of the three.

In the end, the cheesy garlic bread flavored chips won the contest and will be available on shelves permanently. The other two flavors will be around for limited times this summer so, if you’d like to make your own opinion on them, get ‘em while you can. Also, if you’re interested, I have three nearly full bags at home you can have. First come, first served!